Undying Glory: Preservation of Memory in Greek Athletics, War Memorials, and Funeral Orations

Undying Glory: Preservation of Memory in Greek Athletics, War Memorials, and Funeral Orations

Author:

Hainy, Joshua D.

Abstract:

Ancient Greek acts of commemoration aimed to preserve the memory of an event
or an individual. By examining the commemoration of athletic victory, military success,
and death in battle, with reliance upon theories ofmemory, this study examines how each
form of commemoration offered immortality. A vital aspect was the way they joined
word and material reminder. Athletes could maintain their glory by erecting statues or
commissioning epinician odes, which often relied on image and words. The physical and
ideological reconfiguration of the plain of Marathon linked the battle's memory to a
location. Pericles' oration offered eternal praise to both the war dead and Athens, an
Athens crafted as a monument by Pericles to remain for future generations. In different
and complimentary ways, all of these forms of commemoration preserved the glory of a
deed or an individual for posterity.

Description:

vi, 100 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.